1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for image recording on a recording medium according to information sent from a host apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Image recording apparatus, such as a printer, is generally equipped with dip switches for enabling the operator to modify the functions to a certain extent. However such dip switches can only cope with modifications of rather limited functions, for example setting of interface conditions.
Recently there are also known apparatus allowing the operator to select functions through an intelligent operation panel, by the use of a non-volatile RAM instead of the dip switches. However, such apparatus, still requiring manipulation of the operation panel, only serves to facilitate the setting with the dip switches and allows the selection of individual functions only.
There are also known, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,833, apparatus in which the parameters such as the character size and the line pitch are instructed by a host apparatus such as a host computer to a printer. However such parameters have to be set to the printer by the operator every time the power supply is turned on. Also in certain apparatus such as word processors, the parameter settings of the printer are stored in a floppy disk or a non-volatile memory provided in the host apparatus, but the operator is required to provide an instruction for reading the stored settings from said floppy disk or the like. Also in such apparatus a considerable load is unavoidable on the part of the host apparatus.
Recent development of non-impact printers, for printing characters in the form of a group of dots, has made it possible to print not only characters but also to form lines and pictures. For this reason, instead of the conventional printout of characters on an already printed business form sheet, the printout can be made by storing data for format pattern in advance and overlaying the thus stored format pattern with newly supplied data, as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,833. Such process is called form overlay.
The form and print data are usually designed separately, so that they often do not fit each other in the actual printout. It therefore becomes necessary, as shown in FIG. 7, to move a pattern ABCD to a position A'B'C'D'. In such case it has conventionally been necessary to redesign the form or the print data, involving cumbersome work.
Also in case of forming, as shown in FIG. 9, the same image in different positions 408 and 409, it has been necessary to send the same data repeatedly from the host apparatus, so that the efficiency in image forming time cannot be improved.
There is also known an apparatus in which an image displacement is made on a display such as a cathode ray tube and the displaced image is then printed, as disclosed in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 914,150. However the image displacing process, conducted in the host apparatus, imposes a significant load thereon, and other processes cannot be executed during such image displacing process.